*culture is not optional

Enough is enough

by Robert Moll

America's affluence presents unique challenges to this country's
Christians. Never before has a culture had so much and never before
have so many people wanted more. Possessions breed the desire for more
possessions though it ends in futility. Because Jesus calls Christians
to depend on God, Christians today are in a unique position to respond
to society's need to acquire.

How Much Is Enough: Hungering for God in an Affluent Culture
is an excellent Christian response to materialism, consumerism, and
affluence. Oddly, it could appeal to someone with a six-figure income,
a rebellious adolescent who senses that all is not right with society,
or a social worker in a developing country.

Arthur Simon achieves this by showing us that Americans, hard at
work and making more money than ever, are increasingly dissatisfied
with life. He shows us that our capitalist system with its need to
stimulate desire and fulfill it leaves the consumer wanting more and
receiving less. We also see that America's abundant consumption is
starving the rest of the world. (Simon points out that the money
Americans spend on overeating and consequently dieting is enough to
feed the hungry in the rest of the world.)

"If our particular culture encouraged the persecution of Christians,
the challenge would be more sharply drawn. But this culture doesn't
beat up on most of us; it seduces us with a desire to have more of what
money can buy," writes Simon. It is this desire that kills us?spirit,
soul, and body. He writes,

A far different path is the life of faith. To believe
in Jesus is to trust him as Savior and follow him as Lord. That puts us
on a quest entirely different than that of acquiring things, because
Jesus wants to transform our purpose in life from one of getting to one
of giving. When that happens, material possessions take on a new
meaning. Paradoxically, they mean less and more at the same time. They
mean less because they no longer have a possessive hold on us, and are
no longer seen as necessary to satisfy our heart's desire. But they
also mean more, because the eyes of faith, seeing their true value, can
honor them as blessings entrusted to us by their rightful owner, who
wants them to be used in ways that accomplish his purposes.

Simon also recognizes that the outcomes of the big and small decisions
motivated by giving or getting are different for each person. His
purpose is not to outline a lifestyle for all Christians but to
encourage Christians to make those choices in light of their
motivations. There may be spiritual reasons to live in a big house in
the suburbs and commute downtown, but the motivation for making that
decision should not be the desire for an opulent house in a well-off
neighborhood and an excuse to drive an SUV to work.

Of course there is nothing wrong with possessions; it is the love of
possessions that Jesus preached against. That is why, when Simon's
family decided whether or not to have rugs in their home, they chose to
have rugs because buying and owning rugs not only covered their floors
but helped to provide jobs to the workers who installed them and the
factory workers who made them.

Finally, Simon points out that there is nothing more freeing than
independence from possessions. Knowing the value of material things as
gifts from God allows us to appreciate God's goodness and frees us from
wanting more and allows us to experience the joy of giving. How Much Is Enough? provides an excellent model for Christians to respond to America's dependence on stuff.